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I can’t see him, but I can practically feel his entire body relax over the phone. In that moment, I believe him, and looking at Mac and Finn, I can see that they do too. No evil man would sound so relieved by the answer Harper just gave him. He was willing to give it all up if that’s what she wanted. “So what do we do now?” I ask him. “There’s no way we can get to him in Ireland. Our family hasn’t been allowed to step foot in the damn country since he murdered the Donovans. He needs to come here.”
“I actually have a plan for that.”
The four of us listen to Patrick explain how he will get Declan and his men to come to New York, but first, we need to take out our father. With him out of the picture, Patrick will convince Declan that he needs to be the one to come to New York and deal with Harper. Patrick will book all the necessary travel arrangements and give us detailed instructions about when and where Declan will be. Once we take out Declan’s men, we will end him. Slowly and painfully. That bastard doesn’t deserve a quick death, not after all of the pain he has caused my family.
“Are you sure you all can handle Liam? He is your father. I know what that kind of vengeance can do to a man.” The worry in his voice leads me to believe he knows from personal experience. Maybe if circumstances were different, I would take the time to ask him, but not right now. Right now I need to focus on the three people sitting in this room.
I open my mouth to answer, but Mac beats me to it, “We’ve already discussed it. Don’t worry. We’ll get it done.” I watch as Harper stares at my brother, worry filling her eyes.
Right there with you, Baby.
I know I promised Mac I’d let him be the one to do it, and I’ll stick to my word. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified. Not over what it will be like to watch my father get die… nah, I could give two fucks about that. After everything he’s done, I’d put a bullet in his brain without thinking twice. Blood or not. He’s no longer my family. Not sure he ever really was. He was just a man in charge. What I am terrified about is the effect it’ll have on Mac. I’ve spent years trying to get him to realize that his monsters are part of him. Just because he resents the killer inside of him doesn’t mean he doesn’t need it. The man wears his emotions on his sleeve. It’s what we love about him. However, whether he will admit it or not, his bloodlust is one of those emotions. When he lets that monster take over and puts an end to the man we call father, the man that turned him into what Mac hates most about himself, what will happen? Will Mac finally be at peace, or will he need to find a new outlet for all the rage he’s afraid to let out?
“Alright, then, boys. I’ll let you know when I have a plan in motion.”
“Before you go,” authority coats my voice now. Letting Patrick know that just because we asked for his help doesn’t mean I’m someone he should fuck with. “If I even hear a whiff of you going back on your word, I’ll fly to that godforsaken country and end you myself, banishment be damned. I have eyes and ears everywhere. Are we clear?”
The asshole has the balls to snicker on the other end of the line, but the few seconds of silence that follows proves he knows how serious I am. “Right back at ya, boyo.” He hangs up, and the line goes dead.
The four of us sit silently for a few minutes, each individually trying to take in everything Patrick just told us. Finally, I look at Harper, “What do you think?”
She looks genuinely stunned that I’m even asking her. Shit, she’s fucking cute. Pointing to her chest she asks, “Me?”
“Yes, you.” I smile.
“Why are you asking me?”
“Because, Baby. I’m sure I can speak for all of us when I say we want to know your opinion. This is just as much about you as it is about us.”
Mac and Finn nod their heads in agreement from their chairs beside me. She looks between the three of us, rapidly blinking those big green eyes before she hesitantly speaks. “I believe him. I think he’s telling us the truth.”
“I agree. He wasn’t lying.” Finn says from the other end of the counter. I don’t know how he does it, but the guy can smell a lie a mile away. He’s a walking, talking lie detector. So, if he and Harper say Patrick isn’t lying, then he’s not lying.
Once we clean up breakfast, well once Finn cleans up breakfast, the four of us draw up a plan. Deciding it’s in everyone’s best interest to act on taking out Laim sooner rather than later. Truthfully I think it’s because we’re all afraid, well, everyone except Mac, that if we stew on it any longer, we’ll start to second-guess our decisions. That’s the way this life is, though, I suppose. There’s no time to second-guess anything. If you take too long to come to a decision, it could very well cost you your life.
Protect the ones you love at all costs and show no remorse.
Mum called us a few times throughout the day. The more I thought about it I didn’t want to risk just hearing from her via text message. Anyone could have taken her phone and pretended to be her. She let us know when she was on her way back to the house, when she was leaving for the airport, and when she was about to take off. I’ll rest easier when I know she’s landed and is safely hidden away at Pascal’s.
Our father… you know what, no, fuck that. Liam, being the self-righteous prick that he is, made finding him tonight entirely too easy. The dickhead gives Mum access to his calendar because he’s too old and stubborn to figure out how to use it on his own. Before she boarded the plane, I was sure to ask her for the login information. Come to find out, he’s set to have a meeting down at the docks tonight, likely trying to figure out what happened with Max and his goons.
He’ll never find them. They’re currently fish food at the bottom of the Hudson.
The city is dark now, just after eleven. Mac Finn and I are getting ready to leave as we want to arrive before his meeting at twelve. We called the dock workers two hours ago and strongly suggested that they not be anywhere near there for the next 24 hours. They’ve already looked the other way towards Liam’s antics and are lucky I haven’t snapped their necks as punishment. When I told them as much, they were more than happy to oblige my request for the evening. The three of us made sure to dress in our usual attire. That way, when Liam saw us, he might just think we were there by happy coincidence and not bolt.
We’re waiting in Harper’s room for her to come out of the bathroom as she gets ready for bed, so we can say our goodbyes before we head out. I look up from my spot on the end of the bed when I hear her open the bathroom door, only to find her wearing jeans, a black shirt, converse shoes, and a flannel tied around her waist. Her messy curls are piled in a bun on top of her head.
I bolt up from the bed. “No. No fucking way. Absolutely not. You’re staying here.”
She levels me with her most menacing glare, or at least she attempts to. Hands on her hips, “Now just hold on a minute–”
“No, Harper. You are not going. End of discussion.”
“Excuse me, but you are not the end all be all.”
“Right now, yes, I fucking am!”
Finn steps up behind me, “Ronan…”
